Golden Ace

Golden Ace

15th-Feb-2025

Burdett Road is the correct favourite for Saturday’s Kingwell Hurdle, but I think that Golden Ace should be closer to him in the market than she is.

Jeremy Scott’s mare was a top-class novice last season.  She beat this season’s Relkeel Hurdle winner and Ascot Hurdle winner and now big Stayers’ Hurdle hope Lucky Place in a novices’ hurdle at Taunton last January, and she beat Brighterdaysahead and Birdie Or Bust and Jade De Grugy in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The sedate early pace that day was admittedly all against Brighterdaysahead, and probably against Jade De Grugy too, but Golden Ace still won well, she showed her pace and she showed her class to come away from her rivals.

She rounded off last season by winning again at Cheltenham’s Aintree meeting, taking her record to four from four over hurdles.

She has been beaten in both her races this season, but they were both good races run over two and a half miles, the Ascot Hurdle and the Relkeel Hurdle, both won by Lucky Place.  It is probable that, with the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham over two and a half miles, connections were trying to stretch her out to that distance.  But she shaped like a non-stayer in both those races.

She should be seen to better effect back down at two miles on Saturday, in a race in which she will be able to use her pace.

Burdett Road will be difficult to beat, but she will be receiving 8lb from a horse to whom she is officially rated just 6lb inferior, so she shouldn’t be too far away from him.  More importantly, she has the potential to improve on anything she has done before.  Also, Wincanton, where she is one for one, should suit her style of racing.

GOLDEN ACE WON (ADV 9/4, SP 6/5)